Chapter 75: Soaring High
When Liu Sheng accompanied Su Yanjun to Qingyun Pavilion, she happened to see a slightly plump, rather auspicious-looking woman weeping to the shopkeeper.
The woman had white flowers in her hair and wore a white gown, clearly indicating that a close relative had passed away.
She was accompanied by several other people, both men and women, all middle-aged or older.
“So, everyone, you should still buy an Evil-warding Mirror to hang up, just to put your mind at ease. If only my husband hadn't been so disbelieving, it wouldn't have come to this…”
Before the woman could finish her sentence, she burst into loud sobs again.
Su Yanjun clearly recognized the woman and whispered to Liu Sheng, “Look, that’s Constable Hu’s widow. His body was found stripped of his skin and abandoned in the wilderness yesterday morning. How pitiful.”
“She even came to the Weaving Institute early this morning to claim Constable Hu’s remains, but the Exploration Division said it was the body of a weird objects victim and needed to be handled uniformly, so they refused her. She made quite a scene.”
Liu Sheng nodded in understanding; she was, of course, aware of this case.
The deranged killer who had skinned ten men was finally apprehended yesterday, and the entire Qinghe cheered.
“But if you ask me, there’s a cause for every effect. His wife bought an Evil-warding Mirror from Qingyun Pavilion, and it had already warned her that he was infected with Guai Qi, but he still didn’t believe it and refused to think carefully about where he might have contracted it. As a result, he died so tragically in the wild, and his wife stared at his skinless corpse for a long time before recognizing him. It’s truly awful.”
Su Yanjun was indeed a gossip expert; she knew even the smallest details.
She turned to see Liu Sheng looking at her strangely, her eyes seeming to ask how she knew all this. Su Yanjun coughed lightly to cover up, saying, “Um… because my uncle’s sister-in-law is the Prefect’s wife, so I know a little.”
She continued in a hushed voice, “It’s a good thing his wife had this Evil-warding Mirror. It’s said that the mirror glowed two days ago, and Constable Hu’s colleague testified that on that day, he saw Constable Hu and a woman being affectionate outside the yamen. That’s how they investigated that woman.”
“As a result, they discovered, good heavens, that wasn’t some peerless beauty at all! It was a weird objects with an inherently ugly appearance, who preferred to paint men’s skins to look like beauties, going out daily to flaunt and seduce. I don’t know what kind of hobby this is; indeed, the thoughts of weird objects are not something ordinary mortals can fathom,” Su Yanjun said, shaking her head with a sigh.
The uncle and aunt beside the woman also sighed as they listened to her endless wailing, then they all took out money and each bought an Evil-warding Mirror.
A slender woman helped the tearful woman walk out with the others, comforting her, “Da Meizi, don’t cry anymore. Your good fortune is still to come.”
Seeing everyone leave, Su Yanjun quickly pulled Liu Sheng forward and said, “Hurry, hurry, let’s buy one too. I heard you’ve moved out of the Weaving Institute now, so it’s better to buy an Evil-warding Mirror to guard your home and feel more secure. Anyway, it’s not expensive.”
“I heard their stock isn’t much. They are all personally designed and refined by the Great Master behind Qingyun Pavilion. If you want to buy one, you have to do it early. Once the details of Constable Hu’s case spread, surely more people will come to buy, and by then, you won’t be able to get one.”
Liu Sheng’s face rarely flushed slightly, and she gently pulled her hand away: “You buy yours; I’ve already bought one.”
“Oh, you bought one, so why are you still following me?” Su Yanjun asked curiously.
“I thought I’d accompany you to shop. We’ve been colleagues for over a month, and we haven’t gone shopping or eaten out together yet…”
“That’s true. Perfect, there’s a really good lamb soup restaurant nearby. Let’s go eat there later!” Su Yanjun excitedly linked arms with Liu Sheng.
Liu Sheng quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
She couldn’t very well say that as the owner, she hadn't visited her own shop, and since Su Yanjun wanted to come, she took the opportunity to check it out.
Yes, she was that “Great Master behind Qingyun Pavilion.”
...
Recalling half a month ago, she agreed to start a business with Wen Weilan, but she laid out a few conditions beforehand.
“First, I will not leave the Weaving Institute for now; I will only participate from behind the scenes.”
Although Wen Weilan said she had reached the end of her path in the Weaving Institute system, she still had another path: participating in the Honghu Plan.
Moreover, for now, she could handle both jobs, and three Lingtual was also money!
“Second, I don’t want your residence, but for our future shop, I want a 50% dry stake.”
“Third, I want to move into your residence, and I need a workshop.”
Wen Weilan agreed to all of these.
Then the two began discussing what the shop should be called, what it should sell, and what its future direction would be.
After several days of discussion, consuming countless drafts, they finally decided the shop would be called “Qingyun Pavilion,” and its initial positioning would be to specialize in essential Spiritual Artifacts for civilian households.
Liu Sheng held a 50% dry stake, Wen Weilan held 40%, and the remaining 10% was given to Wen Weilan’s newly adopted sworn sister, Cui Cui.
Wen Weilan provided the capital and managed the operations, while Liu Sheng provided the technology. However, since neither of them found it convenient to show their faces, Cui Cui was responsible for assisting with various matters, and a shopkeeper was hired to manage the store.
There was also a fierce discussion about what the first product should be. Ultimately, the two decided to base it on Liu Sheng’s most proficient Ghost Qi Detector, transforming it into an “Evil-warding Mirror” that every household could use and that was not expensive.
Of course, because the price was not high, and the cost was low, its functions were significantly cut compared to a true Ghost Qi Detector, retaining only simple sensing and warning functions, primarily for daily home protection.
However, the underlying formation for sensing Guai Qi still used Liu Sheng’s improved version, so its sensitivity was still much higher than that of the original Ghost Qi Detector.
Because this Evil-warding Mirror was excellent and affordable, requiring only Spirit Pearls to activate, once the product hit the market, it was promoted among neighbors and quickly, many people afraid of weird objects were willing to pay for peace of mind. Although the Supreme God was protecting them from above, everyone knew that weird events still occurred occasionally that the Supreme God couldn't oversee, so a double insurance was not excessive.
Overall, the sales of the Evil-warding Mirror had a promising start.
However, it was only just beginning. The early research and development, the cost of Materials, and the wages for hired hands had still consumed a significant amount of funds. Qingyun Pavilion had not yet started making a profit.
Currently, Miss Wen was still using the dowry her grandmother left her to support Qingyun Pavilion.
But according to their calculations, as long as they maintained this momentum, they would soon start to profit.
Moreover, with people like Constable Hu’s wife, who had personally experienced its marvel, promoting it, as Su Yanjun said, it might soon be in short supply. The Great Master Liu Sheng alone might not be able to refine enough.
Although it felt like profiting from others’ misfortune, it also precisely indicated that the common people had this need.
Liu Sheng recalled this case and found it strange that Constable Hu, who entered and exited the yamen daily, could not be detected with Guai Qi.
She naturally knew that a Ghost Qi Detector was installed at the yamen entrance.
Such “malfunctions” seemed to be increasing, suggesting that the Guai Qi was undergoing some unknown changes.
She recalled the unbearable darkness beyond the northern border that she saw each time she passed through the seven profound token to high altitudes.
A storm was brewing; Cold Night was approaching.